Coachella City Council Reviews Draft Social Media Policy Following Data Center Debate

The Coachella City Council reviewed a draft social media policy during its meeting Wednesday night, continuing a discussion sparked by recent public debate over a proposed data center project.

The proposed policy would establish guidelines for how the city manages its social media platforms, including standards for online communication, public engagement and transparency. Among the topics discussed was whether comments should remain enabled on city social media posts and under what circumstances they could be limited or disabled.

The discussion comes after recent council meetings regarding the proposed data center drew large crowds and passionate public feedback from residents.

During the meeting, council members emphasized the importance of maintaining opportunities for public participation while ensuring residents understand the proper channels for submitting official comments to the city.

One council member expressed support for allowing comments on city social media platforms, provided the city regularly reminds residents about how and when they can formally submit public comments for council meetings.

Suggestions included posting recurring reminders about public comment procedures and upcoming meeting participation deadlines to improve community awareness.

No formal action was taken on the draft policy Wednesday night, and the council did not vote on any proposed changes.

City officials said the discussion helped clarify the intent of the policy and provided an opportunity for residents and council members to share feedback before any future action is considered.

The draft policy is expected to return for further review at a future meeting.

UPDATE: (June 11, 2026) The City reached out and made this clarification to our article: For clarification, the draft social media policy only contemplated disabling comments on agenda notice posts to direct residents to official public comment channels and ensure comments were received through the appropriate process. The City was not recommending disabling public comments entirely on its social media accounts as stated in the article. Ultimately, the City Council directed staff to keep comments enabled, and that is how we will proceed.